It is time. Time to give back to the community. Two retirements and a small marketing agency. Other good hobbies, but still something was missing. It was the giving back part. So my agency and I need to find the best place to give back … contributing our time and expertise.
Winston Churchill said it best:
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
So many choices. Have you noticed how many opportunities there are to be of service to your community? So how to select? Probably follow my passion.
I believe I will be of the greatest service to others if I spend time doing things that I enjoy, that I am good at. That has always worked, right? A second criterion is to help people that have been doing it for us. In this case, our military personnel is an obvious choice. Still too many choices, and no obvious choice.
Serendipity
Serendipity is the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it. That is how I found my choice, or better yet, my choice found me. One of my hobbies is golf. Must admit however that I do more watching than playing these days. Particularly when Tiger Woods is in ‘the hunt’ for another win.
So recently I was watching The Players Championship third round when a 3-minute video came on … NBC Sports and K9S for Warriors. Here is the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtZ93yRiQtU
Nicely done, wasn’t it?
K9S for Warriors
K9S for Warriors is all about helping servicemen and women suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The help is in the form of a trained K-9 who helps the veterans in many ways. Oh, … the K-9s themselves are rescued from animal shelters.
A young non-profit organization that is less than 2 years old. And have already made a difference to roughly 60 servicemen and women as of spring 2013. Lots of room for growth … a waiting list of those reaching out for help is already over a year.
My Choice
Personally, I couldn’t find a more deserving group than this one. A great need by whom they serve, and just hitting their stride but needing more volunteers to grow. And me?
Well, I could contribute by helping them carry their messages and stories … spreading their successes to a larger audience. Digital marketing and social media, you see, is one of my passions. A real win-win.
Remember this simple fact … do what you do with passion and the rest will follow.
Do you have a giving back story to share with this community?
The bottom line
Make your giving vivid by including what comes naturally to you. For example, you may not be able to imagine certain giving very well, but you may excel in imagining other modalities such as smell, touch, and sound.
You may be excellent in infusing your visualization with emotional charge and great feelings.
DO not feel compelled to stay within any single giving modality but make your visualizations and imagination vivid and rich by including numerous modalities. Your senses are wonderful tools for you to engage while unleashing the power of the imaginative mind. Make it colorful and exciting. Make your imagination your ally and your best friend.
